Building wall



L. S. MUNSON BUILDING WALL May 14, 1935.

Filed Sept. 14, 1933 uiher SMuusorg Patented May 14, 1935 TATES RING WALL Luther S. Munson,

ton, D. 0.,

West Riverdale, Md., assignor to Munlock Engineering Company, a corporation Washing- Application September 14, 1933, Serial No. 689,471

Claims.

The present invention is designed as an improvement over the building wall shown in my isued Patent No. 1,822,820, granted September 8th, 1931, it being an object of this invention to 5 completely eliminate mortar in the vertical joints of the wall, without sacrificing any of the manifold advantages derived by the use of a minimum of mortar bedding in the vertical joints, as covered by my said issued patent.

In partition walls where the ends are restrained by walls running at right angles, or by other suitable means, I have found by experiment that it is unnecessary to provide a plastic composition, or other uniting agent in the vertical joints of the wall, where the elements are interfitted in a manner which permits snug eiigagement thereof, yet which are so formed as to resist forces which are taken up in compression rather than in tension or shear. The present invention provides wall elements which are interfitted for snug engagement with a complete absence of mortar in the vertical joints. The transverse components of lateral stress are absorbed in friction by reason of contact of the abutting terminals of the elements which, however, permits an appreciable flexibility in the wall without shearing any of the protrusions or projections forming a part or parts of the tile elemen notwithstanding the fact that the forces may be of sufficient intensity to crack the plaster or other material filmed against the opposite surfaces of the wall.

A coordinate object of the invention is to provide tile elements which may be engaged in a restrained wall without the use of mortar or other adhesion means in the vertical joints, yet which are so formed that the interfitting terminals of the elements may be arranged to run horizontally as well as vertically, thereby providing horizontal joints which are preferably sealed by a mortar bed to prevent displacement of the wall elements, because of the absence of interengaging parts in the vertical joints of the wall.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a wall in which there is an absence of mortar or other uniting agent in the vertical joints and wherein the complemental terminals of the wall elements engage along the neutral axis of the wall, but have their adjacent faces spaced from a point in proximity to the neutral axis to the opposite surfaces of the wall. While the wall elements of the present invention are especially adapted for use in a partition or other restrained wall, it is of course, understood that the invention is susceptible of a variety of uses, some of which will be apparent from the description of the invention hereinafter set forth and the form of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a wall constructed in accordance with the present invention, in which the wall elements are set up vertically in horizontal rows, the elements of one row being staggered with respect to the elements of an adjacent row;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, in which the wall elements arelikewise set up vertically, the elements of one vertical row being staggered with respect to the elements of an adjacent row;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a wall constructed in accordance with the present invention, wherein the tile elements are laid horizontally instead of vertically, the elements of each row being staggered with respect to the elements of an adjacent row; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The wall formed in accordance with the present invention consists of a plurality of wall elements, each of which may be a hollow tile 4. The tile is of any desired size and shape, and is usually made from burnt clay. The outer faces of the tiles may be grooved in a manner wellknown in the art, to key the plaster or other plastic material thereto. Each of the tiles 4 has a substantially V-shaped protrusion 5, formed on one end thereof and a substantially V-shaped recess 6, formed in the opposite end. The tiles are adapted to interfit, as shown to advantage in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawing, and are preferably arranged in staggered relation, in a manner more fully hereinafter set out.

When the tiles are interfitted as shown in the drawing, it will be noted that the apex of each protrusion impinges against the base of the wall of the recess of the adjacent tile element. Consequently, the tiles are in engagement along the neutral axis of the wall. However, although the protrusion 5 of each tile is completely interfitted in the recess 6 of the adjacent tile, nevertheless a space is provided between the tiles on each side of the neutral axis, the space tapering so that the greatest distance between the two tiles is at the outer surface of the wall. Consequently, transverse forces on either side of the wall are taken up in compression along the neutral axis of the wall, as no strain will be imposed upon any particular part of the tile per 66 se, but is transmitted to the wall entity. The spacing of the tile elements on the opposite sides of the neutral axis of the wall is accomplished by forcing out the recessed ends of the tiles and shortening the terminals thereof, so that the distance between the apex of the protruding end of the tile and the base of the protrusion or the jointure of the protrusion with the tile body is in excess of the distance between the apex of the protrusioriand the terminal of the recessed end of the adjacent block. As shown in Pig. 3 of the drawing, the approximate measurement of the above distances is 10/18 and of an inch, respectively. This allows the wall to be appreciably flexed without destruction or demolition, although the plaster on the wall indicated at 1, would be cracked or broken at the vertical joints of the wall. The force on either side of the wall causes a sliding action of the adjacent tiles in the neutral axis of the wall, the only repellant to such sliding action being the frictional resistance set up between the adjacent faces of the tiles. When the tiles are set up vertically, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the spaces between the tiles at the surface of the wall are adapted for the reception of nodules of plaster during the application of the latter to the wall in order to key the plaster to the wall in a manifest manner.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, the tiles are shown set up horizontally in staggered relation. When thetiles are laid in this fashion, the protrusions of the tiles are uppermost and interfit the recesses of adjacent tiles in a horizontal plane to provide a horizontal joint running the full length of the wall. A light mortar bed 8 is deposited on each side of the protrusions to prevent lateral displacement of the tile elements during the erection of the wall. This is especially helpful in the construction of the wall, since the abutting surfaces of the tiles are uneven and these inaccuracies cause canting of adjacent tiles, unless held together by a suitable adhesive agent. When using the tiles as shown in Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawing, it is apparent that forces applied to either side of the wall are taken up by the wall as an entity in compression, notwithstanding the complete absence of an adhesive agent in the vertical joints of the wall. I have found that a wall constructed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention positively eliminates shear or strain on a particular part of the tiles, because of the impossibility of exerting the force on the wall which is caused to be concentrated, usually at a point farthest away from the neutral axis of the wall.

It is apparent that various changes may be made in the tiles, especially in the details of construction and in the form and size of the latter within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wall construction formed of interfitting tile elements having interfitting end portions consisting of V-shaped protrusions and recesses, the walls of the protrusions being of less angularity than the walls of the recesses, the apices only of the protrusions impinging against the walls of their complemental recesses.

2. In a wall construction composed of loosely interfitted tile elements engaged along the neutral axis of the wall, the walls of one of the interfitted portions being of less angularity than the.

walls of the other interfittted portion, said portions spaced on the opposite sides of the neutral axis.

3. In a wall construction as recited in claim 2,

which also includes a plastic composition engaged with the opposite sides of the wall and in the outer extremities only of the spaces between the tile elements.

4. A partition wall composed of tileelements arranged in superposed relation and provided.

with interfitting ends, the walls of one interiit ting end being of less angularity than the walls of the other interfltting end, said ends being in contact only along the neutral axis of the wall and spaced on the opposite sides of the line of contact to provide interstices in the opposite sides of the wall for the reception of a plastic material.

5. In a wall construction as recited in claim 2. wherein the spaces on the opposite sides of the neutral axis increase toward the opposite faces of the wall.

LUTHER S. MUNSON. 

